Kiss and Say Goodbye
by Delirium's Child
Summary: Ranger's pov, remembering the good old days.


(Response to a challenge on yahoo group plumfanfiction from Ally. )

**Kiss and Say Goodbye**

The dream caught him by surprise. Lately, his dreams had starred a certain blue-eyed, accident prone brunette, but not tonight. Tonight he found himself in his college dorm room, folding a **Rutgers sweatshirt** and humming Born in the USA. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror by the door and winced. Christ, he looked like a Cuban Elvis in genie pants. Why was his subconscious torturing him?

Before he could really examine that thought, the door opened. "Ric?" a girl's voice called in. All ideas of this being anything but reality flew from his head.

"Come on in, baby," he answered, shoving the shirt into a convenient drawer.

The owner of the voice stepped in and looked around. She was petite, even with the huge bangs and crimped hair. She was wearing a sweatshirt with the neck cut out and skin tight **faded** blue jeans to show off her legs and hightops with at least three shoe strings in each shoe. Her **green** eyes swept the room before coming to rest on him. She smiled.

"God, you are such a neat freak!" she laughed. Ric shook his head.

"Not all of us can live in a disaster area comfortably," he told her. She wrinkled her nose.

"The Millenium Falcon was messy," she said. He laughed.

"I'm not Han Solo."

"Maybe not yet," she said, tilting her head and giving him a strange look. He sighed.

"And you don't look like Princess Leia," he said, gesturing to her sweatshirt.

"I'm in training!" she protested with a grin. "It takes time to become a good intergalactic princess."

"I worry about you." He flicked the door closed behind her.

"Don't," she said with a toss of her hair. "You left a message on my board. What'd you want?" she walked past him and sat down on his bed.

"I, uh..." he fumbled for the words. "I'm sorry," he finally said quietly, knowing she'd realize what he was talking about. He watched her face for her reaction. Her green eyes clouded over with sadness, but there was acceptance there was well. God her eyes were expressive. She simply couldn't hide what she was thinking, it wasn't in her. One of the many reasons he loved her so much...

She sighed and shook her head. "I knew you would do it, Ric," she said softly. "It's the right path for you, you know. You'll make a great soldier- that warrior code of yours will come in handy." She took a deep breath before asking the dreaded question. "How long?"

His chest felt tight suddenly. He didn't want to think about that part of it. He wanted to go into the army, he wanted to be a soldier. He didn't want to leave her behind. "I'm leaving in the fall," he managed. She nodded, and held out her hand. He took it and sat down next to her, pulling her into an embrace.

"At least it's not right away," she sighed. "We still have all summer. There's still some time."

And then there wasn't. They were in the park, and she was leaning against the tree, looking down into the water. It was **autumn**, and the leaves around them were a riot of orange and red, but today even they seemed subdued, muted by the gray overcast sky and **misting rain**.

"Come with me?" he asked her again. It was pointless. Her answer wouldn't change, and he knew that. But he had to ask anyway.

"Ricardo," her voice broke, and she took a moment before she spoke again. "Don't. You know I can't, even if I want to, I can't." He stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. "You have to go. And I can't leave my family..." she said, her voice shaky.

"Tiffany, please don't cry," he whispered as **a single tear drop** slid down her cheek. It hit him like a punch to the chest. He could handle a lot of things, but not her tears. Never that. "I know. I... I love you," there he had said it.

She relaxed against him. "I know," she said with the hint of a smile in her voice. "But you're still scruffy."

He laughed and tightened his hold on her. "Who you calling scruffy?" he said, grinning. Tiffany turned to face his playful glare and tilted her chin rebelliously, her green eyes sparkling, mesmerizing him.

"You." God she was so beautiful...

"Whatever you say, princess," he whispered and then he kissed her. Her lips parted, allowing his tongue entrance. She tasted like strawberries. He groaned and pulled away finally.

"I have to go," he said, burying his face in her hair. "I'll come and visit you, baby, I _promise_," he swore, holding her as tightly as he could. "You're still my best friend, you know," he told her solemnly. She looked up at him with a smile on her tearstained face.

"Back at you, Solo," she said. "Don't break too many hearts, ok?"

"You either, princess." A horn sounded in the distance. "That's Tank. I gotta go." One last kiss, and whispered goodbyes, and he was running down the path to his friend's truck, trying to ignore the aching emptiness in his heart.

"Hey!" she yelled. He stopped and looked back. "I love you!" she called out. He grinned.

"I know!" he yelled back, and waved. He dashed the last few yards to the truck.

Ranger woke up reaching for the door handle. He groaned and fell back on the bed, feeling the old guilt and sadness wash over him. He had never seen her again. Had been on a mission in one of those third world jungles that Stephanie was always worried about, and when he got back, there was a **letter** for him from her parents telling him she'd died in a car crash, but his daughter had been saved.

They had buried her in Miami. He'd hopped the first plane he could catch and had kept his promise.

Sighing, he looked out the window at Trenton, through the haze of the slow drizzle. Another lovely autumn day. A good day for goodbyes, he thought sadly.

Kiss And Say Goodbye  
  
This has got to be the saddest day of my life  
  
I called you here today for a bit of bad news  
  
I won't be able to see you anymore  
Because of my obligations, and the ties that you have  
We've been meeting here everyday  
And since this is our last day together  
I wanna hold you just one more time  
When you turn and walk away, don't look back  
I wanna remember you just like this  
Let's just kiss and say goodbye  
  
I had to meet you here today  
There's just so many things to say  
Please don't stop me 'til I'm through  
This is something I hate to do  
We've been meeting here so long  
I guess what we've done, oh was wrong  
Please darlin', don't you cry  
Let's just kiss and say goodbye (Goodbye!)  
  
Many months have passed us by  
(I'm gonna miss you)  
I'm gonna miss you, I can't lie  
(I'm gonna miss you)  
I've got ties, and so do you  
I just think this is the thing to do  
It's gonna hurt me, I can't lie  
Maybe you'll meet, you'll meet another guy  
Understand me, won't you try, try, try, try, try, try, try  
Let's just kiss and say goodbye (Goodbye!)  
  
Hmmmm  
  
I'm gonna miss you, I can't lie  
  
Understand me, won't you try  
  
It's gonna hurt me, I can't lie  
  
Take my handkerchief and wipe your eyes  
  
Maybe you'll find, you'll find another guy  
  
Let's kiss and say goodbye, pretty baby  
  
Please, don't you cry  
  
Understand me, won't you try  
  
Let's just kiss and say goodbye 


End file.
